It started with Coffee
by lizziekiss
Summary: how could a cup of coffee change Marcus cole life? would that change bring him the woman he loved? Marcus/Susan rated M for possisable adult themes CURRENTLY ON HIATUS


**A/N- ok so I've been watching Babylon 5 and I secretly like it, I just always wanted to see Susan and Marcus, well be friends at least, and this takes place during the fourth season (cause that's how much I've watched so far)**

Susan Ivonava was a dangerous woman, and at this moment she was proving that fact, she had yelled at almost 20 people about the fact that the war room was closed, and now? She was yelling at Marcus Cole.

"We had a meeting at the war room, and now they tell me it's closed! It's a war room Marcus, and we are at war!"

Marcus nearly winced as she assaulted him with her words.

"but Commander Ivonava, you must understand, the people running the war room need days off, need some time to forget that there is a war, and if not for a entire day, then for a few hours at least."

"But you and I had a meeting, this is important. We have to plan out our next white star mission."

"Commander, why don't you come to my quarters, its private and we can talk at length without any interruption."

"Your quarters are too small to house one grown adult, what makes you think we can get any work done in there?"

Marcus sighed his smile fading for a moment before he spoke once more, ready for the verbal assault to continue. "Then commander, the only other option I can see would be for us to have our meeting at your quarters."

There was a silent pause, and Marcus expected to be hit for even suggesting the beautiful Susan Ivonava would even think of letting him into her personal quarters, let alone in a situation where there was no one dead or maimed.

"Fine, come with me now, I want to get this over with." the sigh she made after speaking crushed Marcus.

"You know, we could reschedule, I assume you don't like having visitors and having me visit must be the last thing you would want tonight."

There was pain in his voice, she had long known of his little infatuation with her, but he had been so easy going around her that she was sure that he had forgotten those fantasies. She took a moment to steal a glance at his face as they entered into the elevator, he looked withdrawn, and it could even be described as depressed looking. She felt a pang of guilt as she watched him for the moment.

"Marcus?" she asked waiting until he looked at her to speak "I'm sorry I made it seem that I didn't enjoy your company, its just that I've finally got a day off tomorrow, but I have to spend my night tonight working until late."

Marcus smiled completely understanding how she felt but teased her anyways "really? I had come to think that you just didn't want any Ranger germs in your Quarters."

Susan laughed even though she didn't want to, Marcus seemed to have that effect on her, and maybe it was that infectious smile. There was definitely something about that smile, she mused over it wondering if it was reserved for her alone. He only seemed to smile that way when he was quietly looking at her.

That was one thing about Marcus and Susan, when they spoke together, they could spend most of their time quietly watching each other, only interjecting occasionally to break the silence.

"Let me make it up to you" she was the first to break the comfortable silence.

"Just how to you plan on doing that? Having my clothes laundered before we make it there so that my germs wont mess up anything?"

There was that smile again, and in turn she smiled. She noticed this time, for the first time in fact, the way his eyes lit up when he saw that he had made her smile.

"How about I make you coffee, real fresh coffee, and we can sit and chat like normal people after we take care of business?"

The look that came over Marcus' face was one that puzzled Susan; he looked like he had just won some sort of lottery.

"Are you alright?" she asked her voice soft and mellow.

The only sound Marcus made was a sharp intake of breath, there was something about Susan that had him enthralled, and the way she asked him if he was ok, in that low sultry tone, had him unable to think straight for a moment.

"I'm fine commander. I promise, I'm just not used to you being nice to me, or well having a conversation with me at all come to think of it." his smirk hid the rapid beat of his heart, and the way his palms sweated when he was nervous.

"Susan, call me Susan, Please? If we're going to be friends we might as well be on friendly terms." and she smiled again, a real smile, he could even see it in her eyes.

-Now were friends? - He thought to himself, His mind reeling "well then Susan, did you plan on holding my funeral later? I'm bound to die of shock if you keep treating me so nice."

Susan didn't answer as she led him out of the elevator and towards her quarters, keying in the code at the door, "come on in Marcus."

There were many thoughts that came into Marcus' head when he stepped into Susan's quarters. First was the fact that the entire place smelled subtly like her, the perfume she wore, he could even smell the scent of her shampoo lingering in the room. Frankly he was overwhelmed, her scent drew him like bees to honey, and there was just something about being alone with her in her quarters that enticed him. He shuddered to think of the things that happened to normal men and women when they went to each others quarters, but alas he had never tasted the flesh of a woman. In his heart he knew, if she so much said a word about wanting him, he would have stripped down and begged her to have her way with him.

Susan watched Marcus; he seemed lost in thought as he gazed at the items in her shelves. She wanted to say she was not fond of Marcus at all, but that would have been a lie, she was fond of him, there was something about his good natured teasing that she liked. She would never admit that to him, and definitely never would she tell him the real reason why she agreed to let him come to her quarters.

-I wanted to get to know him better, he seems so sad underneath the smiles and the handsome laughter- she thought to herself, as she moved to begin a pot of coffee brewing. She watched him from the corner of her eye, the way that he looked at the things on her shelves, he seemed nervous but why?

"Marcus, the coffee is ready, would you like some milk in your coffee?" she wanted to ease his anxiety, make him feel relaxed while he was here, when he nodded she added some milk stirring it as she spoke to him "you know, we should talk for a bit, we never talk about anything other then work"

He smiled as she handed him the cup, his stomach knotting as her warm fingers brushed against his as she passed the cup to him.

"Have you lived here long?"

The melodic sound of her laughter was the answer he was given.

"So I take it you have lived in these same quarters the entire time you've been on the station?"

Again she laughed, this time it was softer, and accompanied by a nod and a smile.

"This is just how I pictured you living."

His words shocked her, as did the fact that he was currently removing his cloak and laying it over the back of a chair in her living area, she couldn't remember if she had ever seen him without it, maybe when he had ended up in the med bay.

"Susan?" his voice broke through her thoughts "are you going to stand there forever?"

She shook her head smiling; it wasn't until she was moving to sit on the couch in her living area that she noticed how well built Marcus was. She stopped herself before her thoughts got any further into the gutter then the already were.

"Marcus I have a strange question to ask you, I've been wondering ever since we took our last trip on the white star"

He said nothing, only motioned for her to go on while he savored every sip of the coffee.

"You told me once that your whole village was killed, your family and your lover, but then when we were on the white star" she paused suddenly uncomfortable.

"When I told you that I had never, been with a woman?" he spoke bluntly even thought his half smile was obliviously faked to cover up his embarrassment. When Susan neglected to answer he continued "I loved her yes, she was my lover, the woman I loved, the woman that back then, I wished to marry, she was the woman that I planned on doing everything with, traveling, having children, she wanted to wait until we were married, and I loved her so I agreed." he lowered his head as he finished speaking "I never found another woman, I've not even so much as kissed another woman since my lovers death."

Susan took a moment before she replied "I'm sorry Marcus I shouldn't have brought it up, it was callous of me."

Marcus opened his mouth to say something but Susan's communicator beeped

**Commander Ivonava, its Sheridan**

Marcus watched as she moved into the other room, and he sighed, finally he had gotten to spend some real time with Susan and now it was being interrupted by her work.

"John! You gave me such hassle about making sure I really took tomorrow off, and yet then you're inviting me to breakfast?!" Marcus couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but Susan didn't sound happy "Fine! You want me to go to breakfast that's fine. You want me to extend the invitation to Marcus because Delenn hasn't been able to get a hold of Marcus all evening? That's fine too, but dressing up? Or pretending to be in a good mood the first day in weeks that I have off and I still have to get up early? Not happening!"

Marcus was startled as her communicator was tossed on the table in front of him. "I take it you are not happy with the call"

"Not at all, how did you guess?"

"Do I even need to make a joke out of this?" he spoke softly as he watched her, the way that she paced around the room, "Susan, I should go its getting late and you have to go to breakfast in the morning."

Susan looked a little dejected as she saw his mostly full mug of coffee "wont you stay and have another cup of coffee with me? This has been nice, just sitting and chatting with you."

His heart pounded in his chest, as she moved over once more and sat down on the couch across from him. In a move bold and brazen he smiled his most genuine smile "I would love to, it's been so long since I last had real coffee." he smiled again looking at her near empty mug "here let me pour you some more."

Marcus rose and gathered the two cups, dumping what was left in each out into the small sink before filling them once more, he took only some milk and to hers he added some milk and three tiny spoons of sugar, he had watched earlier while she fixed hers. Holding a mug in each hand he made his way to where she sat her eyes closed and her head resting back against the pillows on the couch. He moved to her side, sitting close to her on the couch as he pressed the mug into her hands, but the way that her eyes flickered open to take in the sight of his face merely inches from her own caused his stomach to knot uncomfortably. She looked at him like she had just woken from some blissful slumber, and in that moment he wanted her so bad that his body ached. He had to turn his face away to blink the tears away, razing his hand to his nose like he needed to sneeze. He didn't know what it was like to be this easily worked up, he normally had his emotions in check, why now, when the sleepy eyed Susan currently had her hands wrapped around his own on the coffee mug, did he seem to loose all control and rationality? He watched her pucker rosy lips to take a sip of the coffee, a pleasant little moan coming from her mouth when she tasted that he had made it just how she liked it.

Marcus was struggling to keep from fantasizing about being that very coffee mug that she kept bringing to her lips, so hard was he trying to clear his mind that he didn't notice that one of her hands had left his on the mug to lay on his arm.

Susan watched Marcus, something was troubling him and she didn't think he was likely to tell her but she asked anyways.

"Marcus what's wrong? Have I said something wrong?"

"Not at all, I just caught myself imagining what it would be like to be an inanimate object, and to be honest, it's a first for me."

Susan was puzzled, what had he meant by that? When she brought the cup up to drink once more, her lips again puckering to sip the hot coffee from the mug, she noticed the way he held his breath, averting his gaze. Suddenly what he said made total sense!

"Marcus will you please look at me for a moment?"

When he looked at her meeting her eyes she took a long look at him, searching his face, and deep down inside she had to admit it to herself, he was indeed a handsome man, easy to look at, and when she caught her own gaze lingering on his lips she spoke again.

"I have a surprise for you, but you must close your eyes and promise not to be angry or hit me when I give it to you."

Marcus only nodded at her words, placing the mug of coffee on the table and putting his hands behind his back, his eyes looking over her curiously before his eyes slowly shut.

Susan was nervous, even more then she had been on her first day aboard Babylon five. She shifted silently as she got up taking a moment to move the things from the coffee table just in case he went running out of the room like a mad man. Instead of sitting next to him facing the chair like she had been before, she sat sideways on the couch so that she was facing him, leaning forward so that she could gently press her lips to his.

Marcus was shocked, Susan had just kissed him, it had been a soft chaste kiss, but he was so overcome by the want to pull her to him and kiss her until her lips hurt that his eyes flew open and he pulled away from her soft luscious lips.

Susan flinched startled when Marcus had pulled away so quickly, she immediately regretted having kissed him, and she thought herself a fool to think that Marcus would want to ever have anything to do with her. She thought back to all the subtle hints he had dropped, wondering if he had just been toying with her, she knew she was mean and cold, she only prayed to any deity that would listen that she was not some kind of bet. She stammered out "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have."

The blank look upon Marcus' face began to worry Susan, but she found a small bit of relief when he spoke.

"Susan there is no need to ruin such a moment with unneeded apologizing."

For once her stomach fluttered when he smiled, the look on his face one of pure happiness and joy. He murmured softly as he reached out for her.

"I have waited far too long for this moment, and dreamed of it too many times to let it be spoiled by idle words."

She gasped as he leaned forward placing a hand behind her head to pull her to him, his lips searing with unbridled need as they claimed her own

Marcus' head was spinning as he kissed Susan, her lips so soft, the scent of her perfume intoxicating, and all other thoughts driven from his mind except for how good it felt to finally have the woman he lusted after in his arms.

"Marcus" Susan said as she broke the tantalizing kiss, her voice husky as she caught her breath "we have to stop, we aren't thinking rationally"

Marcus did not answer; he only began to kiss the tender flesh of her neck, with kisses so soft that she got goose bumps on her arms.

"Marcus" she said again, her voice trailing off as he found a sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Susan" he said as he pulled back a bit, all too aware of the fact that if he got too worked up there would be a physical betrayer of his want for the beauty in front of him.

"I don't know why you kissed me, be it pity or not, if you wished it I would wake up tomorrow and pretend that this never happened."

As much as he wanted to return to exploring the lips of the doe eyed woman in front of him, he stopped and took her hands in his, waiting to hear what she would say.

Susan was however at a loss for words, he had kissed her with a passion that she didn't believe could exist, she was so dazed at the moment that had he suggested more intimate activities she would have been easily persuaded. She came to a realization though, that she did not want to leave his grasp. That knowledge scared her a bit, wondering if she had really given into the advances of a particularly headstrong Ranger.

"believe it or not Ranger Cole, I did it because I felt like it." she smiled when she got the sort of shocked look she hoped for "you should know, after you admitted to fantasizing about being the very mug that I laid my lips upon, I decided that it had been far too long since you had a proper kiss."

"Susan Ivonava! You are an utterly mean and vile temptress!" Marcus said rather animatedly as he made a show out of removing his hands from hers.

"Shhh you silly Ranger," she murmured as she moved to press her lips against his once more. As he seemingly melted into putty in her hands she knew that she had the upper hand here, and for now she liked it.

Susan didn't want to pretend like this never happened, Marcus was close to her, close enough that she considered him a friend, not that she would have admitted it to him, but others knew. What no one knew however was the way she thought about him, silently wondering sometimes what was on his mind when he smiled at her. She would not even admit it to herself how often her thoughts strayed from her work, and straight to him and that infectious laugh.

Now however, he was once more kissing her with an intensity that seemed to over load her brain, making it hard for her to think at all and even less likely that she could think rationally.

Susan's Bab-Com sounded off startling them both and causing them to jump away from each other rather startled.

**Its O-Six-hundred standard hours, you have no meetings scheduled for tomorrow, and no pending messages.**

Susan blushed a deep crimson as she heard the sound of the alarm set for her normal wake up time.

"I really must be going if that is your alarm." Marcus said sheepishly as he rose and moved to put his cloak on.

"Breakfast is at ten and I was told to extend the invintation to you," she replied speaking softly "but I fear that with the early morning hustle you wouldn't get back to your quarters down below with enough time to even have a nap before you had to leave again to meet us for breakfast. So I think you should stay here."

The look of shock on Marcus' face was unexpected "Commander, I was shocked when you agreed with my suggestion of having our meeting here, I was rendered speechless by the fact that you would actually give into my whims and fantasys and provide me with a kiss I have long hoped for, but inviting me to stay with you even if it is only for a short time, now you are toying with me, you must be."

Susan took a long look at Marcus; he did indeed look very confused at the moment. She rose and closed the space between them easily slipping up on tiptoes to give him a kiss, when he did not deny her, she smiled softly.

"I do not mean anything inappropriate with my offer, you will just nap here on the couch while I catch a nap in bed, and it will be suspicious if we both show up to breakfast, looking tired and guilty."

"Prove it to me that you are not toying with me, I trust you Susan, but this seems, too good to be true."

"Tell me how and I will."

"let me escort you to breakfast, let me walk into the room grinning like a fool cause I've got the most beautiful woman in the galaxy on my arm."

His tone was serious when he spoke, and Susan had no option but to give in.

"Fine, but do not go telling everyone that you spent the night with me. I have a professional reputation to hold up."

She kissed him again, this time it was softer, gentler then before. She reached up to place a hand on his face as she kissed him, and when she broke away she stroked her thumb over his cheek before letting her hand drop.

Marcus nearly begged her to allow him entrance to her sleeping chambers, he would have slept on the floor curled up like a pet dog had she allowed it. He wanted to be near her that badly.

When she moved to the doorway of the sleeping chambers and looked back at him, it took all his willpower to not take advantage of the come hither look upon her face. When the door was closed and she was no longer in sight, he fell wearily to his knees murmuring under his breath.

"By Valen's name, please do not let this be all a dream."


End file.
